Creativity by all accounts is a learned skill, often developed to compensate for an inability to do things the “right way,” which is precisely my origin story. Reading is a chore for me that usually leaves me wondering what I’ve just read and how I feel so tired all of a sudden. Early mornings are more like an out-of-body experience, and listening to people talk is an internal game of hearing keywords or phrases being spoken and singing the lyrics of the song it reminds me of while trying to appear present in the moment. It’s like an internal jukebox powered by keywords and phrases.
Audio, on the other hand, is like intravenous inspiration. I can listen to podcasts and audiobooks all day long. It’s even better if I’m doing something while listening to the audio, like working out, playing PS4, or just doing some chores around the house. Everything is better with a soundtrack! I’ve even curated playlists in Spotify to provide a soundtrack for online meetings, that only I can hear in my headphones.
A quick tip for those who record your own voice: This same soundtrack trick is excellent as a background and atmosphere when recording podcasts and voiceovers. Just pipe the soundtrack into the headphones, and your microphone presence will improve instantly. I feel naked when I record an audio track without an epic soundtrack playing my ears. It helps me to project better and speak slower. A small note of caution, however, I find its best to avoid music with too much of a beat, or you might find myself rapping the script by the end of the recording.
Creativity is both a superpower and a curse: an ability and a disability. It knows no bounds and will consume your brain anytime, day or night. But, usually at night. When harnessed like the energy that it is, creativity is distilled-down into intoxicating shots of awesomeness. It can be focused like a laser beam and injected like an elixir of flow-state. It is quite literally what gets me out of bed and keeps me up all night.
To all of the “creative types” out there, who’ve spent a lifetime doing things “the wrong way,” struggling with drab admin tasks and internally ideating on branding for every amusing collection of words you hear, here’s to you, and all you do. It’s high time we started club!
Welcome to the Creative Juices Club
